Improvement in fire-escapes



e; s; STAPLES.

FIRE-ESC'APES.

194,625. Patented Aug. 28,1877.

ATTORNEYS.

N-FETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WAS INGTON. u C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. STAPLES, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FlREeESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 194,625, dated August 28, 1877; application filed June 25, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. STAPLES, of Sherman, county of Grayson, and State of Texas, have invented a new andv Improved Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and portable fire-escape, that may be used for letting persons directly down from buildings, or for carrying them from the upper stories of buildings to other buildings at a distance or to the ground, as circumstances may require.

In the drawing, which is a side elevation of my improved fire-escape, A is a block containing two pulleys, a b. The pulley a has a slightly-concave face, and the pulleyb has two grooves in its face. B is a pulley-block having a single-grooved pulley, c, and O is an endless rope, that passes around the pulley c and over the pulley a, and is crossed between the pulleys a b, and passes upon the opposite sides of the pulley b. A clasp, D, is attached to a belt, E, by means of the strap (1, and is capable of being made fast anywhere on the rope (J.

The belt E is to be clasped or buckled around the waist of the person desiring to escape.

The block A is provided with a hook, by means of which it may be attached to any fixed object in the burning building, and the block B is provided with ropes, by means of which it may be attached to any solid object below or across the street, or to a building conveniently near the fire.

Several belts having clasps attached may be provided, so that one person after another may descend.

The manner of using my improved fire-escape is as follows: The block A is attached by means of its hook to any convenient object having sufficient solidity. The block B is attached to any convenient object below, or to the upper or lower stories of a building. The belt E is fastened around the body, and the clasp secured to the rope. The person either lowers himself by taking the rope in hand, or is lowered by persons from below.

Timid persons and invalids, by means of this device, may be safely delivered from burning buildings. The double arrangement of the pulleys in the block A gives sufficient friction to prevent the ropes from being too easily removed.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In afireescape, the combination, with block A, having the concaved pulley a and the double-grooved pulley b, of the block B, having a single-grooved pulley, c, and the endless rope O, as shown and described, for v the purpose specified. GEORGE S. STAPLES. Witnesses:

' T. Z. RANDOLPH,

A. L. DARNELL. 

